Egg carton



Patented July 10,1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. SGHU RMANN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORTO W. A. SCHUBMANN& (70., ING, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

, EGG CARTON.

Application filed April 29, 1925. Serial No. 26,589.

This invention relates to egg cartons or boxes for use in shipping andselling eggs, more particularly to boxes of this kind made of paper orsimilar sheet material, having front and rear and end walls and abottom, together with a cover which can be folded down to cover theeggs, usually held in two rows by a paper filler.

One of the ob'ects of the invention .is to provide a novel structure andarrangement whereby the grain of the paper extends JLO l which the saidcrosswise of the fold lines of the blank from 'which the box or cartonis made, or crosswise of the longer longitudinal fold lines of theblank, whereby the paper will break sharply along such fold lines, andthus provide a stiffer box and a carton having sharp and well definedcorners.

Another object is to provide an egg carton or box having its integralbottom wall provided with novel cushioning means for engaging the lowerends of the eggs, thereby to reduce danger of breakage of the eggs.

Another object is to provide anovel construction and arrangement wherebythe overlapping flaps at the o posite ends of the box are cut down at te upper edges thereof, so that their upper edges extend downwardly fromthe front and .rear corners of the box or carton, thereby to effect asaving of material and other beneficial results, as will hereinaftermore fully appear To these and other useful ends,the invention consistsin the" matters hereinafter set forth and claimed, and shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective of an egg carton or box involving the principlesof the invention, showing the cover thereof in open position, andshowing the egg filler in position within the box. I I

Fig. 2 is a perspective of a portion of the said egg, carton or box,showing the same in partially folded condition. c

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectionof said egg carton or box, showingthe'cover in' closed position.

'Fig. 4 is a lan of the paper blank from box or carton is made.

As thus illustrated, the blank from which the box or carton is made, asshown in Fig. 4, comprises a front wall 1, a'bottom wall 2, a rear wall3, rectangular end walls 4, end flaps 5 and 6, a top cover 7 and a flap8 for said cover.- The front wall is preferably creased at 9, and theflaps 5 are creased at 10 in the manner shown. Longitudinal crease lines11, 12, 13 and 14 foldably con nect together the said walls 1, 2, 3 and7 and the flap Sin the relation shown. Cuts 15 are made through thematerial between the end walls 4 and the-flaps 5, and similar cuts 16are made through the material between the end walls 4 and the flaps 6 ofthe blank. The transverse crease lines 17 separate the front wall fromthe flaps 6, separate the bottom 2 from the end walls 4, separate therear wall 8 from the flaps 5, whereby the flaps 6 are flexibly connectedto the ends of the wall 1, while the rectangular end walls 4 areflexibly connected to the ends of the bottom 2, while the flaps 5 areflexibly connected to the ends of the rear wall 3 in the manner shown.

Now when the said blank is folded it will be seen that the flaps 6overlap the flaps 5, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and that a single staple18 is inserted through each end of the box, through the overlappingportions of the flaps 5 and 6 and through the end walls 4 of the box,whereby each end wall of the box comprises the inner, rectangular wall 4and the two outer, overlapping flaps 5 and 6 disposed in the relationshown. When the blank is thus folded into box form, the filler 19, ofpaper or any suitable material, may be inserted as shown, to providerectangular cells'for the eggs in the usual manner, whereby the box willhold a dozen eggs two rows, as shown. When a blank is thus folded, itwill be seen that the edges 20 and 21 of the flaps 5 and 6 cross eachother near the upper end of the staple 18, so that these upper edgesextend downwardly from the front'and rear upper corners 22 and 23 of thebox, thus exposing a triangular portion of the surface of eachrectangular end wall 4, the points of which triangle coincide with themiddle of wall 4 and the said corners 22 and 23 of the box. In this waythe flaps 5 and 6 are of less area than heretofore,

-but are sufficient to overlap and be secured to the middle portion ofthe end wall 4, in

such relation that the latter can fold down flatwise upon the' bottom 2of the box, but with the triangular portions 24 disposed between theouter surface of the front wall 1 and the inner surface of the wall 4,at each end of the box, when the latter is collapsed or folded down flatby pushing the front wall 1 inwardl and then pushing the end wallsdownwar At suchtime, the fiap's 5 fold" along their fold lines 10, asshown in Fig. 2, so that the triangular portions of the flaps -5will'bear upon the outer surface of the flaps 6, thereby permitting theback wall 3 to beariupon theouter surface of the walls 4 at each endofthe box, when the latter is .collapsed and "-iiattened out for storageor shipment. The straight low edges 20 and 21 provide a wide clearance.through which pressure may be exerted on the outer surfaces of thewalls 4, by the thumbs or by machinery to push them down flat againstthe bottom 2, and in this way the upper edges .,of' the'fiaps 5 and 6are perfectly straight from the frontvand rear corners of the box to thepoint where they cross or intersect each other at the approximatecenterof each end wall of the box. In this way the end walls 4 provide stifi'braces between the front and rear walls 1 and 3 of the box, when thelatter is unfolded and in use, and the end walls do not tend tocollapse, but stand rigidly to keep the box in open condition when I thefiller 19 is inserted. When the box is l closed,"the flap 8 is pusheddown between the parallel with these-grease lines. This refiller and thefront wall thereof, and forms a stiff brace between the two end Walls ofthe box, tending to keep the front wall with its foldable end sections24 stretched out straight and rigid.

- Now the grain of the paper from which the blank is made, preferably,as av matter of further and special improvement, extends, parallelwith-the crease line 17, and at right angles-to the crease lines .11,12, 13 and 14, 'whe-reby the material will break sharply alongthe'lin'es-ll, 12, 13 and .14, and produce sharp corners,- instead"of'the more 0rv less rounded corners which would be formed if the grainof the paper were made to extend Y ,sults in flat top and bottom wallsof the box and flat front and rear walls, instead of 7 Walls which areslightly bowed outwardly, as is, liable to be the result when the gramof the paper is made to extend parallel with said crease lines 11, 12,13 and 14:, in a manner that will be readily understood.

As a matter of further and special improve ment, the integral bottomwall 2 of the paper box or carton is preferably provided withcushioningmeans'in. the form of a'group of dots 26 for each egg cell of the eggfiller 19 previously mentioned. It will be seen that the group of dotsat the bottom of each cell is formed in such a manner that there arepreferably four outer dots arranged at the corners of a rectangle, sothat there is a dot opposite each corner of the egg cell, and a I fifthdot in the center of the group. Thus each egg if exactly in positionrests upon the center, dot of the group, and is held againstdisplacement toward the four corners of the egg cell by the other dots,it

being understood that the lateral displacement of the'lower end of theeg is more 'liable to occur toward a corner of the cell,

than toward a side thereof. Thesedots are preferably formed by upwardlypressed portions of the paper, so that each dot isv hemispherical inshape and bulges upwardly on the top surface of the bottom wall, andpresents a hollow on the lower surface of the bottom. In other words,each dot is convex on its upper side and concave on its lower side, inthe manner shown more clearly the bottom of each egg cell provide acenter .cushioning means, the center dot, with surrounding cushioningmjeans spaced therefrom, and with the center cushioning means in thecenter of the surrounding cushioning means, .whereb the lower end of theegg will rest on the center cushioning means, and will encounter someportion of the surrounding cushioning means if displaced,

therefrom, in any direction.

It will be seen that the crease lines 10 areegg,

Thus the five upwardly pressed dots for.

oblique to the edges 21 of the rear flaps, and that the crease lines9are oblique to the edges 20 of the front flaps, and the result is thatthe front and rear flaps have strai ht upper edges for their fulllength, so t at the carton folds easily in the desired manner, as shownand described.

It will also" be seenthatvthe cushioning means 26, comprising one smallcenter cushion and surroundin cushioning means, for the center of theottom of .each cell, in'

effect-form a single cushion for the center of the bottom .of each cell,as the portions 26 are so close together than the practical effect is asingle cushion at the center of the bottom of each cell. In effect,also,-as the portions 26 are so close together, the single cushion thusprovided for the center of the bottom of each cell is substantially flatbut rough topped, as the elevations 26 are all of. the same height, sothat their tops are" all in the same horizontal plane, the effect beinga roughened and flat-topped cushion for the center of the bottom of eachcell.

Without, disclaiming anything, and without prejudice to any noveltydisclosed, what I claim as my invention is: An egg carton formed from ablank of sheet of material having integral front and rear and bottom andend walls, and a filler in the carton to provide rectangular egg cells,said integral bottom of the carton having a center cushioning means forcentrally engaging the lower end of each egg cell, and surroundingcushioning means with said center cushioning means in the centerthereof, said surrounding means being in position to engage the lowestsurface of the egg, if the lower end of the egg is displaced sidewise,said center and surrounding cushioning means being of the same heightand disposedclose together, with their tops all in the plane of thelower end of the egg, at the center of the bottom of each cell, toprevent the lower end of the egg from slipping down between any of saidcushioning means, said cushioning means comprising a group of upwardlypressed dots, five in number, each outer dot being opposite one cornerof the egg cell, whereby the group is rectangular, with the fifth dot inthe center thereof, and with the tops of said dots all in said planebelow the egg. I

Specification signed this 24th day of April,

WILLIAM A. SCHURMANN.

